Presenter:
Esteemed Shaykh, may Allāh preserve you, Allāh–the Exalted and Most High–says in Sūrah ʿAbasa [what means]:
﴾Then He makes the path [of his exit from the womb of his mother] easy for him﴿
So, Allāh–the Exalted and Most High–guaranteed the ease of this child [birth]. And it is observed that many men and women are hasty to carry out what is termed as Ceasarean Section (C.S.)
Is this from weakness in reliance upon Allāh–the Exalted and Most High?
Shaykh Muḥammad bn Ṣāliḥ Al-ʿUthaymīn:
I hold that this method that people make use of nowadays, such that immediately a woman feels [the signs of] labour, she goes to the hospital and Caesarean Section is performed on her, I hold that this is from the inspiration of Shayṭān, and that its harm is much more than its benefit. Because, the woman must feel pain during labour, however, she gains certain benefits from this pain of hers.
The first benefit: It is an expiation for sins.
The second: It is a [means of a] raise in [her] ranks if she is patient and hopes to be rewarded.
The third: That the woman knows the importance of the mother, whom the like of what befell this woman befell.
The fourth: That she knows the magnitude of the bounty of Allāh–the Most High–upon her [by granting her] well-being.
The fifth: That her compassion for her son increases. Because, when something is obtained with difficulty, then the soul is more affectionate and compassionate towards it.
The sixth: That this son, or this foetus comes out from its known and conventional pathway. And this contains good for it and the woman.
The seventh: That she expects, through that, the harm of the operation. Because, the operation weakens the womb covering and other than that, and perhaps, it might tear. And she might or might not make it.
The eight: That the one who is accustomed to C.S., she most likely cannot return to the natural childbirth, because it will not be easy for her, and it is risky for her, lest the scars of the surgeries rip apart.
The ninth: That in carrying out surgeries is a lessening of progeny, and that is because when the abdomen is incised three times, from different places, it becomes weak and pregnancy in the future becomes risky.
The tenth: That this is a way from the ways of lavishness. And lavishnes is a reason for destruction, as Allāh–the Most High–said; regarding the people on the Left Hand [what means]:
﴾Verily, before that, they indulged in luxury﴿ [Al-Wāqiʿah:45]
So what is compulsory upon the woman is to be patient, expect to be rewarded and continue to give birth the natural way, for indeed, that is better for her, now and later.
And it is upon the men themselves too to pay attention to this affair. And we do not know, perhaps it is our enemies that have facilitated and eased these surgeries for us, so that we can miss these benefits and fall into these losses.
Questioner:
What is the meaning of lavishness [in this context]?
Shaykh Muḥammad bn Ṣāliḥ Al-ʿUthaymīn:
Lavishness in the sense that she shys away from the pain of natural childbirth. This is a form of lavishness.
And if lavishness does not assist upon the obedience of Allāh, then it is either blameworthy, or at least, permissible.
